Day: February 27, 2023

February 27, 2023 – PHOENIX – The Grand Prize public vote in TechForce Foundation’s 5th annual FutureTechs Rock Awards is now open. TechForce created this prestigious award to honor aspiring technicians and recognize students with a promising future in the transportation industry. Grand Prize voting is open for one week, from Monday, February 27 to Friday, March 3. Meet the 10 Category Winners and vote to choose the nation’s top tech student at TechForce.org/Vote.

Industry expert judges selected ten Category Winners from hundreds of High School and Post-Secondary nominations, representing 182 campuses across 38 states. Each category winner has been awarded over $1,500 in prizes.

The Grand Prize Winner, chosen from the Category Winners by public vote, will receive an additional $5,000+ in scholarships and prizes from TechForce and sponsors including Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Cengage Learning, CRC Industries, Mighty Auto Parts, New Ford Tech, Nissan, Snap-on Industrial, Volvo and WD-40 Company.

With the 5th annual FutureTechs Rock Awards, TechForce and its partners have awarded 50 transportation technician students with over $67,000 in prizes since 2019. The Awards are made possible because of generous donations from people and companies that believe everyone should have a chance to succeed.

The ten Category Winners represent seven states and ten schools, with each being recognized in a distinct technical education discipline:

• Automotive – Abbie Vetse, Hennepin Technical College, Maple Grove, MN
• Aviation – Teresa Sacca, Antelope Valley College, Lancaster, CA
• Collision Repair – Taeler Coverdale, Universal Technical Institute, Houston, TX
• Diesel Off-Road – Nicholas Isaly, Lenawee ISD TECH Center, Adrian, MI
• Diesel On-Road – Andrew Younkin, Western Technical College, El Paso, TX
• Marine and Watercraft – Benjamin Pooler, Portland Arts & Technology High School, Buxton, ME
• Motorcycle and ATV – Everrett Novak, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Phoenix, AZ
• Motorsports – Benjamin Delauter, NASCAR Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC
• Restoration – Tyler Renken, Central Carolina Community College, Bunnlevel, NC
• Welding and CNC – Connor Essary, St. Clair TEC, St. Clair, MI

The FutureTechs Rock Awards are part of TechForce’s workforce development campaign to inspire and support tomorrow’s workforce of technicians. TechForce also created the first and only social network designed and gamified for professional technicians and tech students to connect with each other, employers and schools (TechForce.org). The transportation community is supporting it with content and using it to learn, connect, find events, and explore job opportunities while competing for prizes and leaderboard status.

About TechForce Foundation
TechForce Foundation is a national nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion all students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce powers the technician workforce by awarding more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants annually to financially-disadvantaged students; changes perceptions towards this evolving, ‘new collar’ STEM career; and provides local career exploration and workforce development programming. TechForce’s online, social network of students, working technicians, instructors, employers, industry professionals and enthusiasts committed to championing the technician workforce is the conduit through which the charity delivers its free resources, programs and career hub for the benefit of aspiring technicians. For more information, visit techforce.org. Follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

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